Cartridge for extracting a beverage

ABSTRACT

A cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure includes a containment body adapted to contain a substance and to receive such fluid under pressure. The containment body includes a bottom wall that is provided with at least one weakened portion that can be broken due to the effect of the pressure of the fluid so as to generate an opening for the outflow of the beverage. The cartridge further includes externally to the containment body, an abutment that faces without contact the bottom wall in order to limit the deformation of the bottom wall due to the effect of the pressure of the fluid and consequently limit the extent of the fracture of the at least one weakened portion.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure.

BACKGROUND

Currently several types of cartridges are known for obtaining beverages such as for example espresso coffee or the like, in which the internal volume of the cartridge that contains the substance to be extracted, for example ground roasted coffee, enables a good air seal. Such result is obtained by using a single body for containing the substance, which is cup-shaped and sealed in an upper region by a film or by a cover, and can be perforated in order to allow the injection of the fluid under pressure, which is typically water.

These conventional solutions have, on the bottom wall of the cup-shaped body, a weakened portion that can be broken due to the effect of the pressure of the fluid that is injected into the cartridge. As the inner pressure of the cartridge increases, in fact, this bottom wall deforms, expanding outwardly and consequently causing the breakage at the weakened portions.

A drawback of the prior art is that, in order to separate the substance to be extracted from the bottom wall from which the beverage flows out, there is no option but to use rigid filters made of plastics, since if a sheet filter is used instead, for example a filter made of paper, non-woven fabric or other flexible material, then with the breakage of the bottom wall of the cartridge the sheet filter would tend to belly through the torn areas of the bottom wall.

The use of rigid filters involves the use of a greater quantity of plastics and brings problems during manufacturing, which are essentially linked to the insertion of such rigid filter into the cup-shaped body of the cartridge.

SUMMARY

The aim of the present disclosure is to provide a cartridge for extracting a beverage which is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above mentioned aspects.

Within this aim, the disclosure provides a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure which has a bottom that can be broken due to the effect of the inner pressure of the cartridge alone and wherein the fracture of the bottom of the cartridge for the outflow of the beverage can be controlled and limited.

The disclosure further provides a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure which, in order to obtain the fracture of the bottom from which the beverage outflows, avoids the use of external elements that are not part of the cartridge, such as for example punches or counter-pressure elements that are applied in the extraction chamber where the cartridge is placed.

Also, the disclosure provides a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure which, thanks to the controllable nature of the fracture, can permit the use if desired of a sheet filter such as a paper filter or the like.

The disclosure further provides a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure which is highly reliable, easy to implement and low cost.

The disclosure provides a cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure, comprising a containment body that is adapted to contain a substance and to receive said fluid under pressure, said containment body comprising a bottom wall provided with at least one weakened portion that can be broken due to the effect of said pressure of the fluid so as to generate an opening for the outflow of the beverage, characterized in that the cartridge comprises, externally to said containment body, an abutment that faces without contact said bottom wall in order to limit the deformation of said bottom wall due to the effect of said pressure of the fluid and consequently limit the extent of the fracture of said at least one weakened portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the disclosure will become better apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the cartridge according to the disclosure, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting examples in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an axial cross-sectional view of the cartridge in FIG. 1, taken along the line II-II;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the body for containing the substance to be extracted which is used in the cartridge in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the support of the abutment for limiting the fracture which is used in the cartridge in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view from above of the support in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of the support in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is plan view from above of the bottom wall of a cartridge according to another embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the central region of the bottom wall in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the figures, a cartridge according to the disclosure, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a containment body 2 that is adapted to contain a substance, not shown, from which to extract the beverage, and is adapted to receive a fluid under pressure, in particular water.

In the preferred embodiments of the disclosure, the substance can be ground roasted coffee and the water under pressure can be hot water, for example at approximately 90-99° C. and with pressure of 9-12 bar approximately, so that the beverage obtained is espresso coffee.

Alternatively, the substance contained in the cartridge can be soluble coffee, or any edible substance in powder form, in leaves or freeze-dried, or it can include a concentrate.

The containment body 2, which can be made for example of polymeric material using molding techniques such as, for example, injection, and/or compression, or thermoforming or extrusion, is cup- or beaker-shaped and is sealed in an upper region by a cover 3, which can be perforated so as to permit the injection of the fluid under pressure. In the embodiment shown, the cover 3 is also made by way of molding (such as, for example, injection, and/or compression), thermoforming or extrusion, and can correspond to the cover of the cartridge described in European patent no. EP 2049416 B1, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Alternatively, the cover 3 can also be made as an impermeable film, in a known manner.

The containment body 2 is preferably free from openings and has a bottom wall 4 that is provided with at least one weakened portion 5 that can be broken due to the effect of the pressure of the fluid injected in the cartridge 1, so as to generate an opening for the outflow of the beverage through such wall 4.

The weakened portion can be obtained in a known manner by way of a reduction of the thickness in one or more linear areas of the bottom wall along lines that are predefined during the manufacture of the containment body 2.

The bottom wall 4 can have a plurality of raised portions 6 which protrude toward the inside of the cartridge 1, preferably with a granularity that is such as to define simultaneously a fine canalization for the transport of the extracted beverage toward the discharge opening generated with the fracture of the weakened portion 5, and a wide surface for supporting a filter, preferably a sheet filter 7, for example of filter paper, poly-coated paper, sheet of non-woven fabric or other material in film form that has the capability to filter out the solid particles of the substance contained in the cartridge 1.

The raised portions 6 can be obtained, during the molding of the containment body 2, as concentric arch ribs, which are arranged so as to define concentric channels and radial channels, for example of average depth and width approximately 1 mm.

The weakened portion 5 can extend along at least one edge at the base of at least one of the raised portions 6, for example along both of the substantially longitudinal edges 62 a and 62 b at the base of a central stiffening raised portion 61 which is extended diametrically in a circular central region 40 of the bottom wall 4.

The weakened portion 5 can also extend along a diametrical line 51 of the region 40, transversely crossing the direction of the central raised portion 61 and consequently generating intersection points 53 between the weakened portion along the diametrical line 51 and the weakened portions 52 along the corner edges 62 a and 62 b of the central raised portion 61. In this case, the diametric directions of the central raised portion 61 and of the line 51 are preferably substantially perpendicular, so as to define four circular sectors provided with ribs 63 and with initial fracture points 53.

In an alternative embodiment of the disclosure, illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bottom wall 401 of the containment body 2 again has a plurality of raised portions 600 as in the first embodiment, i.e. which protrude toward the inside of the cartridge with a granularity that is such as to define simultaneously a fine canalization for the transport of the extracted beverage toward the discharge opening generated with the fracture of a weakened portion 5, and a wide surface for supporting a filter, preferably a sheet filter, for example of filter paper, poly-coated paper, sheet of non-woven fabric or other material in film form that has the capability to filter out the solid particles of the substance contained in the cartridge.

The weakened portion 5 is however obtained in a substantially circular central region 400 of such bottom wall 401 by way of weakened lines 501 and 502 which are adapted to define a pair of opposing segments in a spiral or claw form 503 as shown in FIG. 8. In the areas delimited by such segments 503 in the circular region 400 there can be further raised portions 601 which have substantially the same thickness as the raised portions 600.

In both of the embodiments, outside the containment body 2, the cartridge 1 according to the disclosure comprises an abutment 8 that faces toward the outer face of the bottom wall 4, 401 without touching it in the inactive condition i.e. before the extraction of the beverage.

The abutment 8 is provided on a contoured support 80 that is fixed, optionally detachably, to the containment body 2 at the bottom wall 4, 401 for example by way of mechanical interference between an edge 82 of the support 80 and an annular rib 41 that protrudes outwardly from the bottom wall 4.

More specifically, the abutment 8 extends from its support 80 transversely toward the region 40, 400 of the bottom wall 4, 401 where the weakened portion 5 is present. Preferably, in the embodiment in FIGS. 1-6, the abutment 8 extends toward the central raised portion 61. The purpose of the abutment 8 is to limit the deformation of the bottom wall 4, 401 following the fracture of the weakened portion 5 due to the pressure of the fluid injected in the cartridge and, consequently, to limit the extent of the fracture of the weakened portion 5.

The abutment 8 is not in contact with the bottom wall 4, 401 in the absence of the pressure generated by the entering fluid, but is at a distance D from the outer face of the bottom wall 4, 401. For this reason, the abutment 8 is not used to generate the fracture of the weakened portion 5 of the bottom wall 4, 401 of the cartridge. Instead, such fracture is generated exclusively due to the effect of the inner pressure of the cartridge 1 during extraction of the beverage. The abutment 8 defines a mechanical stroke limiter that limits the further tearing of the weakened portion 5 and, thus, the possible egress of the sheet filter 7 through the tears that define the opening for the outflow of the beverage. By controlling the extent of the fracture in this manner, the flow of the beverage from the cartridge 1 is consequently controlled.

The abutment 8 is preferably provided on a fluid-flow obstacle 9 of the support 80 fixed to the containment body 2, such obstacle facing the opening for the outflow of the beverage which is generated with the fracture of the weakened portion 5, so as to slow and/or control the flow of the beverage extracted and prevent a spatter effect, thus making it possible to directly dispense the beverage in a cup or beaker. The obstacle 9 against the fluid flow also allows to improve the quality of the extracted beverage.

The obstacle 9 can be a stilling basin, for example shaped like an ogive as shown in the figures so as to define a suitable outer surface that is adapted to make the flow of the beverage regular. Such basin can have a rim 91 that rests against the bottom wall 4, 401 of the containment body 2 and is provided with one or more ports or notches 92 for the spillover of the beverage that collects in the basin.

In this case the abutment 8 is provided with at least one element 81, for example a pin, protruding from the bottom of the stilling basin 9 toward the outer face of the bottom wall 4, 401 of the containment body 2 of the cartridge 1, more specifically at the central raised portion 61 in the embodiment in FIGS. 1-6.

The support 80 can comprise, around the stilling basin 9 and the corresponding rim 91, an annular wall 93 that is concentric with the rim 91 and is adapted to isolate the inner annular region of the support 80 around the rim 91, such inner annular region being provided with at least one passage 95 for the outflow of the beverage from an outer annular region of the support 80, such outer annular region being provided with radial supporting walls 94.

As an alternative to filter 7, a rigid filter may be used (not shown in the figures), which comprises a flat body having a thickened circumferential rim surrounding a circular area having a plurality of through filtering holes, which are sized so as to block the passage of solid particles and allow passage of brewed water or beverage. The thickened rim may lie on the circumferential step surrounding all the raised portions 6, 600 at the bottom wall 4, 400 in the figures. A suitable rigid filter may be the rigid filter described in European patent application no. EP 1982933 A2, which is incorporated herein by reference.

One or more of the components of cartridge 1 may be made of thermoplastic polymers, synthesized from either traditional sources (e.g. oil) or renewable sources (e.g. alcoholic fermentation), such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, vinyl alcohol resins (for example EVOH), polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Any of these materials could be used for any one of the components of cartridge 1, including cover 3, the rigid filter (not shown in the figure), containment body 2 and support 80. If filter 7 is used instead of the rigid filter, filter 7 may be a non-woven fabric made of any one of these materials. Two or more of the above indicated thermoplastic polymers, in one or more of the components of cartridge 1, may be also reciprocally coupled through manufacturing processes such as thermoforming or co-injection molding. For instance, one or more of the components of cartridge 1 may be a multilayer composed of two or more of the above thermoplastic polymers.

One or more of the components of cartridge 1 may be made of biodegradable materials, including biodegradable polyesters (e.g. polylactide or PLA), starch-based biodegradable materials, microbial polyesters, biodegradable vinyl alcohol resins (for example PVOH), biobased thermoplastics or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Any of these biodegradable materials could be used for any one of cover 3, filter 7, the rigid filter (not shown in the figure), containment body 2 and support 80. Two or more of these biodegradable materials, in one or more of the components of cartridge 1, may be also reciprocally coupled. For instance, one or more of the components of cartridge 1 may be a multilayer composed of two or more of the above biodegradable materials.

Operation of the cartridge according to the disclosure is evident from the foregoing description. In particular, with reference to the embodiment in FIGS. 1-6, in the inactive state the abutment 8 of the support 80 is at a distance D from the outer face of the bottom wall 4 of the containment body 2 of the cartridge 1.

When the cartridge is inserted in a machine for extracting the beverage, which is conventional, the cover 3 is perforated by a punch, which can coincide with a nozzle for injecting the fluid under pressure that is used in order to obtain the beverage in combination with the substance contained in the cartridge 1.

The perforation of the cover 3 may not be necessary if this is already open.

Subsequently, the fluid under pressure is injected into the cartridge 1, so as to enable the mixing thereof with the substance held in the containment chamber 2. This operation leads to the increase of the inner pressure of the cartridge 1 and, consequently, the deformation of the bottom wall 4 outwardly.

Due to this deformation, the weakened portions 5 begin to fracture, in particular starting from the intersection points 53 and along the initial portions of the weakened lines 51 and 52 that begin at such point 53.

With the deformation, the central raised portion 61 also pulls with it the torn areas of the central region 40 of the bottom wall 4. However, after traversing the distance D, the stroke of the central raised portion 61 is blocked by the abutment 8 of the pin 81, consequently limiting the further splaying of the torn flaps that were originally delimited by the weakened lines 51 and 52.

In the meantime, the beverage will be able to flow out from such tears, be slowed down by the basin 9, ascend such basin up until the ports 92 and then finally flow out from the cartridge through the passages 95 defined on the support 80 coaxially around the basin 9 and brushing against the outer surface of such basin 9, which is conveniently shaped like an ogive.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-8 the operation is similar. In particular, the fracture of the weakened portion due to the effect of the inner pressure of the cartridge begins and is maintained in at least one of the inner portions 501 a and 502 a of the lines 501 and 502 toward which the endpoint of the respective opposing segment 503 faces. The further splaying of the torn flaps that were originally delimited by the weakened lines 501 and 502 is however prevented by the contact of the central area of the region 400 with the abutment 8.

In practice it has been found that the cartridge according to the disclosure fully achieves the set aim in that it makes it possible to control and limit the fracture of the bottom of the cartridge for the outflow of the beverage. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to use a sheet filter such as filter paper, poly-coated paper or the like, despite the fact that the bottom can be broken only due to the effect of the inner pressure of the cartridge alone.

The fracture of the bottom from which the beverage flows out avoids the use of external elements that do not form part of the cartridge, such as for example punches or counter-pressure elements applied in the extraction chamber where the cartridge is placed, instead using an abutment element that forms part of the cartridge and which makes it possible to control and limit the tearing of the breakable areas.

Although the cartridge according to the disclosure has been devised specifically for the extraction of espresso coffee from ground roasted coffee, it can also be used, more generally, for the extraction of beverages from portioned ingredients and using a fluid under pressure.

The cartridge, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2013A000906 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. 

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A cartridge for extracting a beverage by injecting a fluid under pressure, comprising a containment body that is adapted to house a substance and to receive said fluid under pressure, said containment body comprising a bottom wall provided with at least one weakened portion that can be broken due to the effect of said pressure of the fluid so as to generate an opening for the outflow of the beverage, wherein the cartridge comprises, externally to said containment body, an abutment that faces without contact said bottom wall in order to limit the deformation of said bottom wall due to the effect of said pressure of the fluid and consequently limit the extent of the fracture of said at least one weakened portion.
 15. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said abutment faces the region of said bottom wall wherein said at least one weakened portion is present.
 16. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said abutment is provided on an obstacle that is fixed to said containment body and faces said opening for the outflow of the beverage so as to slow and/or control the outflow.
 17. The cartridge according to claim 16, wherein said obstacle is a stilling basin.
 18. The cartridge according to claim 17, wherein said stilling basin includes a rim that rests against said bottom wall and is provided with at least one port for the outflow of the beverage collected in said stilling basin.
 19. The cartridge according to claim 17, wherein said abutment includes at least one element that protrudes from the bottom of said stilling basin toward said bottom wall of the containment body of the cartridge.
 20. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said abutment is integral with a support that is fixed detachably to said containment body.
 21. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said bottom wall comprises a plurality of raised portions that protrude toward the inside of the cartridge, a filter being interposed between said substance and said plurality of raised portions, and wherein said at least one weakened portion affects at least one edge at the base of at least one of said raised portions.
 22. The cartridge according to claim 21, wherein said at least one weakened portion is extended along a diametrical line in a substantially central region of said bottom wall.
 23. The cartridge according to claim 22, wherein said at least one of said raised portions is extended diametrically in said substantially central region of said bottom wall and transversely with respect to said diametrical line.
 24. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the weakened portion is provided in a substantially circular central region of said bottom wall and comprises weakened lines which are adapted to define a pair of segments in a spiral or claw form.
 25. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein one or more of its components is made of: a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, vinyl alcohol resin, polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate; or a combination of two or more thermoplastic polymers which are coupled together and selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, vinyl alcohol resin, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate.
 26. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein one or more of its components is made of: a biodegradable material such as biodegradable polyesters, starch-based biodegradable materials, microbial polyesters, biodegradable vinyl alcohol resins, biobased thermoplastics or polyhydroxyalkanoates; or a combination of two or more biodegradable materials which are coupled together and selected from the group consisting of biodegradable polyesters, starch-based biodegradable materials, microbial polyesters, biodegradable vinyl alcohol resins, biobased thermoplastics, and polyhydroxyalkanoates.
 27. The cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said abutment faces the central region of said bottom wall. 